California Man and His 10-Year-Old Son Arrested After Son Allegedly Shot and Killed Another Child

The victim was also 10 years old, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office

A California man and his 10-year-old son were arrested over the weekend after authorities say the son fatally shot another 10-year-old boy with his father's gun.

Arkete Davis, 53, and his son were detained in Sacramento on Saturday after the boy found a gun inside of his father's vehicle and shot another boy with the weapon, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The child was charged with murder, while Davis faces "several felony firearm-related charges," a charge of child endangerment and an accessory after the fact charge. Davis is currently being held on $500,000 bail, per the office.

The sheriff's office said in a news release on Sunday that deputies responded to reports of a shooting on Greenholme Drive shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

When they arrived, police found an "unresponsive juvenile" bleeding from his head and neck. The boy was transported to the hospital by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department before being pronounced dead. Witnesses told police at the scene that those responsible "ran into a nearby apartment," prompting deputies to then detain an adult and two juveniles, per the release.

"Based on [detectives'] investigation, they learned one of the juveniles detained, also a 10-year-old male, went to his father’s vehicle to get him cigarettes," the office's release stated. "He then took a gun from inside the vehicle and bragged that his father had a gun. He then proceeded to shoot the victim once and ran into a nearby apartment."

Davis, whom the office said "was legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm," is alleged to have attempted to dispose of the weapon in a nearby trashcan following the shooting. The recovered gun was also reportedly stolen in 2017.

Davis' son was taken to the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, while Davis was brought to Sacramento County Main Jail. Davis' next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 3.

According to NBC affiliate KCRA, the victim's aunt described him as "smart, very intelligent, kind, loving, respectful" and as someone with "a whole life to live."

"He wasn't even outside 15 minutes," she said, adding that her nephew went outside to ride his bike before the shooting. "And the little boy shot my nephew."

"My nephew's blood is on y'all's hands," she added. "Y'all allowed y'all son to do this to my 10-year-old nephew."

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the child's death was "completely avoidable."

"We cannot let this boy’s murder be a one-day news story and forgotten about by tomorrow morning," Cooper wrote. "The issue of illegally possessing guns by those who should not have them and using them to commit violent crimes is a real one. One that the Sheriff’s Department will address in 2024."

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